Panel mounted electrical connectors are known in the art, and such a connector generally includes a housing mounting a plurality of terminals for mating with a complementary connector. The housing may be mounted to a generally rigid panel for mating of the connector with the complementary connector through an opening in the panel, or the housing may be mounted on the panel simply for structural or support purposes within a circuit interconnection system.
Various means have been used to mount the connector to a panel, such as mounting clips or brackets operatively associated between the connector housing and the panel to mount and hold the connector to the panel. In other systems, the connector housing is inserted into the opening in the panel to an insertion position and then moved relative to the panel, within the opening, to a final mounted position whereat the connector is latched by latch means directly on the connector housing.
One of the problems with panel mounted connectors of the character described above is that the latch means typically projects outwardly from the connector housing, such as a cantilevered latch arm. These projecting latch means are prone to become engaged with extraneous objects during handling and, consequently, are prone to breakage. Another problem arises when the connector housing is moved from its insertion position to its final mounted position. The opening in the panel typically is enlarged to accommodate this movement. Consequently, when the connector housing is in its final mounted position, a portion of the opening is exposed and extraneous objects can be inserted through the opening. The present invention is directed to solving these various problems.